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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF THE FOREST PRESERVE DISTRICT OF COOK COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT DEPARTMENT AS A SEPARATE AND DISTINCT POLICE DEPARTMENT
WHEREAS, Section 810/15 of the Cook County Forest Preserve District Act, 70 ILCS 810/15, grants the Forest Preserve District of Cook County Board of Commissioners "the right and power to appoint and maintain a sufficient police force, the members of which may have and exercise police powers over the territory within such forest preserves for the preservation of the public peace, and the observance and enforcement of the ordinances and laws, such as are conferred upon and exercised by the police of organized cities and villages;" and
WHEREAS, the Forest Preserves of Cook County Law Enforcement Department serves and protects visitors and protects the Forest Preserves' almost 70,000 acres of natural lands and property - one of the largest public conservation districts in the United States - by upholding and enforcing all state, county, and Forest Preserves laws and ordinances; and
WHEREAS, Forest Preserves officers are sworn officers who received additional training in conservation from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Forest Preserves' Department of Resource Management, and archeological protection training from the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and perform a dual role: both the conventional duties of police officers and tasks and duties performed by conservation officers; and
WHEREAS, the Forest Preserves Police are regularly engaged in duties and patrols specifically designed to enforce Forest Preserves of Cook County ordinances that protect the many important ecosystems in the Forest Preserves, including over 100 endangered species of plants and animals; and
WHEREAS, the Forest Preserves Police welcome and ensure the safety of residents who make more than 62 million visits each year to the Forest Preserves of Cook County to exp...
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